Into the Abyss
by theweirdperson
Summary: Lesca comes from an alternate Spira, where the Machina War never occured. But all is not idyllic as it seems... Chap. 6 up: Back to the Farplane
1. Former Fantasy

Chapter 1: Former Fantasy

Lesca's fingers danced over the keys on her machina tablet, and she brushed back a strand of long brown hair. Her dark green eyes (which implied Al Bhed blood somewhere in her ancestry) stared intently at her tablet. She was just... about... done! That was enough for today. She could revise it tomorrow.

She had until the end of the week to complete her report on the ancient ruler Yu Yevon, who had masterfully negotiated a peace treaty with Bevelle 1000 years ago. It wasn't too difficult; she'd always been interested in history, especially that surrounding her hometown of Zanarkand. Lesca herself was even named after Yu Yevon's daughter.

Yunalesca had been one of the greatest summoners of Zanarkand. Lesca sometimes wondered what it was like to be able to summon an aeon to lend aid in battle. Sadly (to Lesca, anyways) the ancient fayth had been destroyed in the Machina Uprising, and summoners were no more. According to the rumors, one fayth still survived somewhere... but such rumors were quickly silenced. Summoners and aeons were of a time long gone. While they had been useful in olden times, now was the Age of Machina. Technological advances were being made every day.

Still, it didn't hurt to dream.

And sometimes even do a bit more than dream.

Lesca bounded down the spiraling staircase. Lesca's mother, Juno, looked up from her tablet.

"Where are you going?" she asked Lesca.

"Over to Mila's. I told her I'd come over this afternoon. And yes, I'm finished with my homework. I've got the whole first draft of my history report done, and it's not even due until Sixthday!" Lesca replied.

"All right," Juno said, chuckling a little. "I don't suppose you'll be playing that virtusphere game again?"

"Mo-om! I already told you, it's called Former Fantasy!"

"All right, all right! Just be back by dinner."

Lesca nodded. "Okey-doke!" Then she rushed out the door.

Juno looked back at the machina tablet. "Kids," she murmured, reminiscing.

Lesca navigated the complicated gridlike streets with the ease of a native Zanarkandian. She could have gotten a ride on a taxi-hover, but she was saving up every last gil she got in order to buy her own VirtusphereStation and a few game spheres to go with it.

She finally reached Mila's house, and rang the doorbell.

Mila answered. "Hey! You finally made it! What took you so long?"

Lesca grinned. "I kinda lost track of time while writing that report on Yu Yevon."

"Hmph. I don't get why we have to learn about something that happened 1000 years ago!"

"Well, _I _happen to think it's interesting."

"So... you wanna get started again on Former Fantasy?"

"Of course! I think we were in the Macalania Forest, right?"

"Yeah."

Lesca stepped inside, and the girls walked to the den.

Two circular platforms, about two yards in diameter, sat on the ground near the far wall. The outside edges were painted a metallic blue, and inside the circles black. It was like a treadmill-- if you stepped forward, the black part would rotate, and you would go nowhere in the real world. But inside the game was a completely other story.

On a shelf in a corner to the left of the platforms sat a glowing violet sphere, two helmets and two pairs of gloves. The helmets covered the head almost completely, leaving only the mouth and chin visible. An adjustable microphone extended from one side to stay near the mouth for issued voice commands. Under the helmet, about where the ears would be, were two speakers. A video screen was in front of the eyes.

The gloves, when worn, would track the movements of a player and translate it into game movement. Thus, a player was completely immersed in the game.

In the wall in front of the game platforms was a box attached to the wall with a sphere slot in it. Mila grabbed the violet sphere from the shelf and inserted it.

"One hour good?" Mila asked, turning to Lesca.

"Yeah. I need to be back by dinner."

Because gamers were so involved in the game, it was hard to tell how much time had passed, or to tell if the spherecomm was ringing, so Former Fantasy gave the option of setting a time limit. It would then give half hour, fifteen minute and five minute warnings to the player (or players) and then, finally turn itself off.

The two girls suited up as the game loaded, and stepped onto the platforms.

"Load save one," Mila said into her mike.

"Loading..." said the pleasant sphere generated voice. "Loading complete. Time limit?"

"Yes," Mila said. "One hour."

"Time limit one hour. Confirm?"

"Yes," Mila repeated.

"Time limit confirmed. Enjoy the game."

Images began to form in front of Lesca's eyes. In the game world, she stood in a crystalline forest, quiet and peaceful. She looked around her.

Lesca had chosen a game form almost exactly like her own-- long brown hair, average height for a fifteen year old, and green eyes. She wore a long, flowing, purple dress, which looked like it should impede movement, but apparently didn't. Her wrists were decorated with silver bangles.

Mila, on the other hand, had opted to become, in the game, one of the ancient race known as the Ronso. The Ronso had never much liked technology, and had left after their traditional homeland, Mount Gagazet, had been tunneled through in order to build a hover line. No one knew what had happened to the Ronso since then. Still, Former Fantasy was what it sounded like-- a fantasized version of the past. Not only was it fun, it could also be justified to one's parents as being somewhat educational. Mila was a tall, blue furred female Ronso, and she carried a spear. She wore a green tunic-like outfit with a bold yellow design on the front. Mila's character was truly an intimidating sight.

The Ronso turned toward Lesca. "Ready?" Mila said.

"Yep," Lesca replied. "Let's go."

They walked along the path, and Lesca admired the scenery.

"Do you think the woods really looked like this when they were still around?" Lesca asked.

"I dunno. Maybe. It's certainly pretty."

"Yeah..."

Suddenly, a fiend leapt into the path.

The words, "Random Battle" scrolled in front of Lesca's vision, followed by "Bladelimb x1".

In battles, your character could only move when it was their turn. You could run all you wanted on the treadmill, and nothing at all would happen.

Mila's turn came first. She had opted for a physical-based character, and she ran towards the Bladelimb to swing her spear at it. The number 1037 flashed in white above the fiend's head. The fiend then sprung for Lesca, who evaded (not due to any movement on Lesca's part; she still couldn't move. Her evasion stat was merely above average). It was now Lesca's turn.

Lesca's character was a mage/summoner. She only knew some of the lower level magic, but her summoning ability, Lesca felt, made up for it.

"Fire," Lesca said, pointing at the Bladelimb. Flames erupted around the fiend, and the numbers 867 flashed over the fiend's head.

Mila attacked again, and the fiend fell.

The cheery victory music played, and the girls continued.

"I heard there's something called a sphere spring around here," Mila said. "You wanna see if we can find it?"

"Sure." Lesca looked around. These woods were certainly confusing. "Hmm... how about this way?"

They ran on the northern facing path.

Fifteen minutes and six random encounters later, they were near a lake.

"Umm... I think we might've gone the wrong way..." said Mila.

"Well, maybe we'll run into a sidequest or something. There must be something worthwhile back here," Lesca said.

They followed the path a short distance, but the path ran into the icy water, and neither of their characters could swim.

"This bites," Mila grumbled. "I guess we'll have to go..."

Suddenly, something erupted from the lake, spraying water everywhere.

Both girls looked, and saw a serpent head rising from the water. The words 'Boss Battle' flashed in front of Lesca's vision, followed by 'Leviathan'.

"Great," Mila said. "Now we have to fight _this_ thing before we can get on with the game."

This time, Lesca went first.

"Mind if I summon?" she asked Mila.

"Go right on ahead," Mila replied.

Lesca held her hands up, palms facing herself, then pulled them down, simultaneously clenching them into fists. "Quetzalcoatl," she said.

Suddenly, a gigantic bird swooped down from the heavens, landing near Lesca. Its feathers shone an electric yellow, and tendrils of lightning meandered across its body. Its tail, however, was reptilian-- scaly, but of the same yellow color and with clumps of feathers placed intermittently. It looked at Lesca with a glinting black eye, waiting for instruction.

"Umm..." Lesca thought for a minute. "Thunder Storm," she ordered the aeon.

The aeon turned towards Leviathan and flared out its wings. Electricity gathered at the tips, and after a few moments Quetzalcoatl released the energy, and myriad bolts streaked out to attack Leviathan.

The creature bellowed. 2071 appeared as the monster winced.

Leviathan suddenly struck out and bit Quetzalcoatl, doing 1086 damage.

Lesca winced. That was over a quarter of Quetzalcoatl's hit points! "Thunder Storm," she repeated.

Leviathan took another 1986 damage.

This time, the aquatic monster used an ability. The ability's name appeared in a box above Leviathan's head-- Tidal Wave.

Leviathan reared up its head, and the water began to churn.

"Oh no," Lesca murmured. This certainly couldn't be good...

A great wall of water rose above the white-crested waves. Leviathan roared, and it came crashing down on Quetzalcoatl.

2906 damage.

Miraculously, Quetzalcoatl had survived... with exactly 11 HP. Lesca, however, noticed that the aeon's Overdrive gauge was full. "Use Overdrive Storm's Rage," she ordered the aeon.

Quetzalcoatl leaped into the air, hovering above the water. Storm clouds began to gather around the lightning aeon, and it let out an unearthly shriek. Lightning streaked out from the clouds and formed an electric sphere around the aeon. With another shriek, Quetzalcoatl flung the sphere down onto the enemy.

Leviathan winced as it took 5220 damage. The monster attacked again, and Quetzalcoatl slumped to the ground, disappearing in a cloud of pyreflies.

Lesca noticed that Leviathan was lowering its head, as though tired. That probably meant that it was low on HP.

It was Mila's turn. Her Overdrive was filled from the random battles they had fought on their way through the woods, and she decided to use it.

"Overdrive Spear Vault," Mila said. Her character ran forward a few steps, then used her spear as a pole vault to launch herself into the air. She fell, spear down, striking Leviathan, and jumped back into position.

The Overdrive did 2006 damage to Leviathan, who responded by biting Mila for 722 damage. It was Lesca's turn again.

"Cure," she said, pointing at Mila. The number 626 appeared above Mila's head in green.

It was now Mila's turn, and she attacked, damaging Leviathan for 960 damage. Leviathan trembled, then collapsed onto the waves, pyreflies leaking from its body.

"Hmm. That wasn't too hard," said Lesca.

"I guess you're right. Hey, look!" Mila exclaimed.

The water level was receding. After a few moments, a path of ice stood before them.

"Let's go," Lesca said, racing down the path.

Words flashed in front of Lesca's vision, accompanied by the sphere voice-- "30 minutes until the game time is finished."

Mila followed after Lesca, and had just caught up to her when...

"Random Battle"

"Aww..." Mila groaned. "This is going to take awhile..."

After about ten minutes and four random encounters later, they had reached a building. They walked silently within.

As Lesca neared the center of the room, she realized that there was a fayth within.

"Hey, Mila. Look."

"Hmm," the Ronso replied. "Maybe this will be worthwhile after all."

Lesca walked toward the fayth and said, "Fayth, awaken."

A ghostly figure hovered over the fayth. It was male, and he wore a blitzball uniform.

"Summoner," he said. "I am the aeon Leviathan. You have defeated me, and I judge you worthy of my aid."

"Obtained the aeon Leviathan," flashed in front of Lesca's vision.

The figure disappeared, and a treasure chest appeared in front of the fayth. Mila opened it, and discovered inside a new spear.

"Hey, it's got Waterstrike and Strength +20," Mila said.

"Fifteen minutes remain until the game time is finished," the sphere informed them.

The duo slowly made their way back to the edge of the forest, and were given their five-minute warning.

"So... which way now?" Lesca asked.

"Let's try this path," Mila said, pointing.

They managed to get themselves surprisingly lost in the five minutes until the game turned off.


	2. The Boy and the Dragon

Chapter 2: The Boy and the Dragon

Lesca walked home, thoughts whirling through her head.

_I wish I could have seen those long ago times... it just seemed so magical._

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she nearly tripped over a little boy standing on the pathway.

"Oh! Excuse me," Lesca exclaimed.

"It's quite all right," said the boy. He was rather oddly attired-- he wore a purple robe with a hood which obscured his face.

"You're different," the boy said suddenly.

"Huh?" Lesca said, confused.

"You... think about things. You don't always just accept things at face value."

"Oh... um, thanks, I guess..."

"You have the potential."

"The potential to what?"

"To set things right in your world. To reveal the truth. To become a summoner."

"What are you talking about?" Lesca was shocked. "There...there are no fayth anymore! Summoners are of the past; this is the Age of Machina!"

"You don't truly believe that, do you?" the boy asked. "You long for days long gone."

"You... you really shouldn't be talking about that," Lesca said, looking around nervously. However, no one was paying any attention to them.

"Why are you afraid?" the boy asked.

"I'm not!" Lesca protested.

"What is it that you fear?"

"I...I fear nothing!"

"Think about these things. We will meet again," the boy said as he walked away.

Troubled, Lesca trudged home.

At dinner that night, Juno said, "Lesca, is something wrong?"

"Nothing, Mom. I'm just thinking."

"I know your father hasn't been around much lately," Juno said, incorrectly diagnosing the source of Lesca's troubled demeanor "but you have to understand that he's busy. There's a big project going on at the Zanarkand Machina Company, and he's been needing to put in extra hours."

"I _know_, Mom. I'm fine!" said Lesca, annoyed. "May I please be excused?"

Lesca's mother refrained from commenting on how little Lesca had eaten, and merely nodded.

As Lesca lay in bed that night, she couldn't stop thinking about the strange boy. His words spun in her head.

_You have the potential._

_What do you fear?_

She tossed and turned, and finally fell into a fitful sleep.

But the boy appeared in her dreams.

"What are you doing here!" Lesca yelled at him. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

The boy just stared back.

"There are no summoners! There are no aeons! None!"

"Seek the truth, Lesca," the boy said. "Don't just repeat what you've been told."

"That _is _the truth!" Lesca cried. "As much as I wish it, the old days will never come back!"

"You're right," the boy said, "you can never bring back the old days."

"But," he continued, "There may come a time when you will need an aeon's strength. There are things that have been hidden from you, and you need to find the out the truth."

Suddenly, a great beast swooped down from the heavens and crashed down behind the boy. It was shimmering dark blue, and bird-like wings extended from its back. Strangest of all, a gold wheel hovered just behind the creature's back.

"Think about what I've told you, Lesca," the boy said. "If you want to help set things right, come talk to me.

You'll know where to find me," the boy said, and then Lesca woke up.

The light of morning shone in from her bedroom window. Lesca got up, put on a blue tank top shirt and teal capri pants, and walked downstairs.

"Lesca!" Juno cried. "Come look!"

Lesca rushed over into the living room. The spherescreen was set to a news channel. Her eyes widened as she realized what was on the screen...

Hovering above the Zanarkand council building was the creature from Lesca's dream.

The view switched to show a reporter. "We're reporting live from near the Zanarkand council building, which is currently threatened by a enormous fiend. Although the fiend has made no move to attack as of yet, it is likely only a matter of time. This fiend is considered to be a great threat to citizens, and it is advised that you remain within your homes. The Zanarkand Machina Company has generously volunteered the use of some of their security machina in order to deal with the threat and..." The woman seemed to be listening to her earphone, "the machina should be here shortly."

Lesca darted to the door.

"Lesca, what are you..." Juno asked. "Lesca, _no_!"

But the girl paid no heed to her mother's cry as she burst out into the street.

Fortunately, Lesca's home was situated relatively near to the council building, because Lesca doubted that any taxi would have driven her there, what with the reports about the 'fiend'. She ran as fast as she could, dodging the crowds, and got there in about five minutes, out of breath. The machina weapons from the ZMC were just being unloaded.

Suddenly, everything froze.

Lesca, stunned, looked around her. Nothing appeared to be moving except Lesca, the huge creature, and...

"You came," said the boy.

Lesca turned around to see the purple-hooded boy. She nodded.

"Is... is that an aeon?" she asked.

"Yes," said the boy, "That is an aeon."

"Then... are the rumors of a remaining fayth true?"

"They are," the boy said. "But this is not the aeon of that fayth."

Anticipating Lesca's next question, the strange boy continued. "This aeon is from a different Spira."

"A different Spira? What are you talking about?"

"There are many worlds out there, Lesca. There is more than one Spira. You see, in the Spira I come from, Yu Yevon never made peace with Bevelle. There was a great machina war, and Zanarkand was defeated." Lesca gasped, and the boy went on. "Yu Yevon was angry, and he was unwilling to let his Zanarkand fade into a mere memory. So he created a great fayth of Zanarkand's survivors in order to summon a Dream Zanarkand for all eternity. In order to protect this Dream Zanarkand, and protect himself as he summoned, he crafted a monstrous armor out of pyreflies. This we called, 'Sin'. Sin killed many of Spira's people, and Yu Yevon's daughter, Yunalesca, helped her father by ensuring that Sin's reign of terror would continue.

You see, Yunalesca knew that her father could always build a new Sin. The cycle could only be broken if Yu Yevon himself was destroyed. So she devised a way to destroy the armor without harming her father. This was called the Final Summoning.

The leaders of Spira were desperate. Yunalesca offered her knowledge of the Final Summoning, if the leaders would ensure her father's continued glory. They agreed, for although they knew that the Final Summoning would never destroy Sin permanently, surely a brief respite was better than none.

A religion was created around Yu Yevon. It forbade the use of machina, and taught that the Final Summoning was the only way to truly defeat Sin. It also taught that only through full atonement could Spira be truly freed of the menace. For 1000 years, Spira was caught in a spiral of death-- Sin killed people, and summoners trained to defeat Sin with the Final Summoning. But the Final Summoning caused the death of the summoner, and someone the summoner was close to would have to sacrifice themselves in order to create a fayth for the Final Summoning. But Sin always returned, and the spiral began anew. Until, one day, a summoner called Yuna broke all tradition and found a way to defeat Sin permanently. But she would never have thought to do something so radical without the guidance of a boy from the Dream Zanarkand... but that is another story. Sin was defeated, but Yu Yevon, desperate, tried to take refuge by possessing each of Yuna's aeons in turn. Yuna and her friends defeated the aeons and Yu Yevon, and Sin's reign of terror ended.

The fayth faded, and passed on to the Farplane."

"Oh," Lesca said. "That's... a pretty far-fetched story. But after seeing that," she gestured at the aeon, "I think I could believe anything. But can I ask how you got to this world?"

"The Farplane is what connects our worlds. Only those who no longer live are capable of establishing a path from one reality to another, although the living can pass through."

"Okay, I get it."

"Good. However, you have a mission to complete."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember your dream, Lesca. There are deceptions surrounding your world that have the potential to become as dangerous as the lies that Yunalesca started."

"I don't like the idea that my namesake or her father could do something like that, even in another Spira."

"Yuna was also named for Yunalesca. A name is just a name.

But that is not important right now. The question is, are you willing to seek the truth?"

Lesca paused. "Yes."

The boy smiled. "Then I will lend you the strength of my aeon, Bahamut."

"Your aeon? Then you're a..."

"Yes. I am a fayth," said the boy.

"Oh, before I do this," the boy continued, "there's a few things you should know.

First, when I give you my aeon, you will find it a draining experience. I want you to be prepared.

Second, when you obtain my aeon, the aeon overhead will disappear. This will likely cause much confusion. I recommend you get home quickly.

Third, I may not always be able to help you. I lend you my aeon's strength in order to help you save your world, but I am weary and long to rest. When your world is safe, I will return to the Farplane."

"Okay," Lesca said.

"One last thing," the fayth said. "Do not summon Bahamut unless you have true need. There are those who would not hesitate to kill you if they knew you could summon aeons. Be careful."

"I will be," Lesca assured him.

"All right then." The fayth flew forward and into Lesca. She grunted and fell to her knees.

Suddenly, the world started to move again. People gasped as they realized that the great beast flying above the council building had suddenly disappeared. Remembering the fayth's advice, Lesca staggered to her feet and headed home.


	3. An Otherworld Awaits You

Chapter 3: An Otherworld Awaits You

When Lesca got home, Juno immediately launched into a lecture.

"What got into you? I was worried sick! For all I knew, that fiend could have gotten you! I tried to search, but some of the Zanarkand Security Forces herded me back in! Are you all right? You look tired. How could you do something like this to me? This isn't like you at all. You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm sorry for worrying you," Lesca said.

"I know, honey. I'm sorry for yelling. But... you really scared me. I could have lost you!"

"I know. I'll try not to do it again. But I'm really tired, and I doubt that they'll have classes today, so I think I'll take a nap."

"Okay," Juno said, concerned. Lesca was acting very oddly all of a sudden, and Juno couldn't figure out why.

School resumed the next day, but everybody was talking about the 'fiend'.

Everyone seemed to have gotten there early, and the school was filled with a constant babble.

"Lesca!" Mila said, trotting up to her friend. "Did you hear the news?" Without waiting for an answer, the blonde girl continued. "Well, of course you did. Everyone's heard it! That big fiend was really something. I wonder if it'll come back. I hear that the ZMC is going to use some of their machina to patrol the streets. Your dad works there, right? Do you know anything?"

"I haven't seen my dad much as of late," Lesca said.

"Oh, that's too bad. Still, it's pretty generous of ZMC to do that, don't you think?"

"I guess." Lesca wasn't in the mood to talk about it. She needed time to think things over. The fact that she couldn't let anyone know about Bahamut made it even worse.

Fortunately, Lesca was saved by the signal bell, marking the beginning of school.

No one was really paying much attention in class that day. The teachers, if they noticed, didn't get upset over it. Fiends were rare near Zanarkand, and none _ever _got past the outskirts, so a giant creature suddenly appearing in the middle of the city was something to talk about.

Lesca hurried home after school finished. She was still feeling a bit drained from obtaining her first aeon. However, history reports didn't write themselves.

After a few days, the furor died down, although the rumors still flew thick as ever, and the ZMC had, in fact, deployed machina patrols.

On Sixthday, the last school day of the week, the headmaster of the school made an announcement over the sphere system.

"On Fourthday, next week, we will be going on a field trip to Guadosalam. Be sure and get your parental permission forms signed and turned in."

_Guadosalam! _Lesca thought. _That's where the Farplane is! Maybe I can see the little boy Fayth there. Or maybe a different Fayth._

After Lesca got home from school, she handed her mother the permission form.

"Mom? Would you mind signing this? We're going on a field trip to Guadosalam next Fourthday," she said.

"Sure, honey," said Juno, smiling. "Just let me get a pen."

_This is just the thing to get her mind off of all the chaos going on, _Juno thought. _She seems so excited!_

Frankly, Juno found her husband's absence worrisome. He got home at ungodly hours when he didn't just stay the night at the ZMC. She knew that he had a lot of work to do, especially with ensuring another fiend fiasco didn't occur, but couldn't he at least fit in a little family time?

Juno shook off her reverie and grabbed a pen from the handy pencil/pen/stylus container located on one of the kitchen counters. After signing the paper, she gave it back to Lesca.

Lesca had a strange dream that night.

She was running down a path, and at the end of the path was a dragon.

The dragon was killing lots of people, so Lesca had to slay it. But she wasn't alone.

Sometimes there were people with her, running beside her on the path to the dragon's lair.

Because it was a dream, everything was muddled-- sometimes it was Mila running with her, sometimes it was another girl with braided blond hair and swirled green eyes, sometimes it was a man wearing sunglasses and a red coat, and sometimes it was a boy with ocean-blue eyes and spiky blond hair who was from Zanarkand.

Sometimes there was a girl above Lesca flying on a great bird. Sometimes Lesca _was_ the girl on the bird, and she saw the dragon in the distance. And she was afraid, because she knew that however many people ran with her, Lesca would have to fight the dragon alone.

They ran and ran, and they finally got to the dragon. The dragon had gray scales, many eyes, and a huge mouth which it used to swallow people. Suddenly a woman appeared, and said that the only way the dragon would die would be if she would sacrifice her own life and one of her friends. And Lesca looked at the woman for a long time.

"I will do it," came the resounding voices behind her. But one voice stood out.

"Don't do it!" yelled the boy from Zanarkand. "I don't want you to die! There's another way!"

Lesca suddenly realized that she was holding a sword, so she drove it into the dragon's heart. The dragon shuddered, and collapsed into a scaly heap.

But something was wrong. The dragon's body was disappearing, leaving the gray scales behind. And on top of the pile of scales stood three men.

One had blue hair and wore a blue robe. He hadn't wanted Lesca to kill the dragon, but he couldn't do anything about it, because he was dissipating into pyreflies.

Another looked like Yu Yevon from the history spheres Lesca had seen. He was picking up the dragon scales and gluing them back together to make a new dragon.

But the third man Lesca knew. The third man was her father.

Lesca screamed and woke up.

The next few days were uneventful, but she had the same dream every night. There were some differences between the dreams, like who was running on the path with her and what weapon she used to strike down the dragon. But it always ended the same way.

Lesca hadn't seen her father at all these past few days, and the dream troubled her greatly. She told herself again and again that it was only a dream, and it meant nothing. But in her deepest heart of hearts, she knew that it wasn't true. Somehow, her father was connected to something ominous.

Finally, it was Fourthday. Field trip time.

Everyone from school was loaded onto a hovertrain headed for Guadosalam. Lesca was lucky enough to get a window seat, and gazed out in silence for the duration of the trip.

Guadosalam looked nothing like it did in Former Fantasy. Once, a city had been carved into a great tree, but a lot of the tree was gone now. There was only one house built into what was left of the tree, and there were a few small wooden houses huddled around the tree, inhabited by what was left of the ancient race called the Guado.

There were many people throughout Spira with a little Guado blood. With the advent of new forms of transportation that facilitated speedy travel, many of the Guado decided to live out in the larger part of Spira rather than remaining in Guadosalam. But the true death knell for the old Guado way of life was the discovery that the Farplane was an energy source.

The Farplane was, according to myth, the resting place of the dead. It was said that one could see the figures of deceased friends and family. Lesca had been taught that this was pure myth, but she was beginning to doubt a lot of what she learned at school.

No one disputed the fact that the Farplane was now home to a power plant which converted Farplane energy (which, although people were able to use it, no one really knew exactly what it was) into power for the cities. There were underground pipes which transported FP-energy to the cities.

The Farplane was the main reason for the field trip.

"Hello, kids," said a supervisor of the power plant. "I suppose you'll be wanting the grand tour?"

"Of course. We'd be most grateful," said a teacher.

"Now, nobody go wandering off, okay?" said the supervisor. A general murmur of assent came from the group.

The supervisor walked over to the dome which covered the entrance to the Farplane. He walked to the door and entered a numerical code. In response, the door slid obediently open, and everyone entered and began to walk down a long, long staircase.

Lesca gasped in awe. She'd never expected the Farplane to be so... beautiful.

The supervisor was leading the group down a path that had been constructed for the ease of power plant employees. Lesca quietly slipped away.

She ran through the field of flowers that grew naturally on the Farplane. According to rumor, there had once been an effort to get rid of the flowers, but it hadn't worked. They'd always just popped right back up again, seemingly overnight.

Lesca looked over her shoulder. Apparently no one had noticed her absence.

"Hmph," a grunt came from somewhere to Lesca's right.

She turned and saw the man with a red coat who sometimes ran with her in her dream. "Um... hi?" she said.

"You are Lesca." It wasn't a question.

"How did you know?"

"The fayth have spoken much of you."

"Who are you?"

The man paused. "I am called Auron."

_So that's his name,_ Lesca thought. _He's one of the people from my dream._

"Hey, Auron!" came another voice. "That the Lesca the fayth are so riled up about?"

The man had a rugged appearance, and wore no shirt, the better to display the Zanarkand Abes tattoo on his chest.

"Hello, Jecht," said the fayth in an amused tone.

"Wait..." Lesca said suddenly. "Are you two fayth too?"

"Well," Jecht said, "he isn't," gesturing toward Auron, "but I guess you could say I am. But don't go asking about my aeon. It's retired."

"Oh. Okay," Lesca nodded. "Why is everyone talking about me?"

"'Cause the fayth have a nose for destiny," Jecht grinned.

"As I said before," Bahamut's fayth broke in, "you have the potential to save your world."

"But you come from a different world than I do. I'm grateful for your help and all, but why are you so concerned?" Lesca asked.

"The Farplane, as I told you before, is what connects our worlds," said the fayth. "Something is going on in your world that has the potential to destroy the Farplane. We need your help, Lesca."

"But what can I do? I'm just a kid!" she protested.

"You are fifteen. One of the Lady Yuna's guardians was that young, but that didn't seem to stop her from helping to defeat Sin," Auron said. "Furthermore, you are a summoner. You're stronger than you think."

Lesca felt a sudden chill, and Auron, Jecht, and the fayth shuddered.

"We'd better get the heck out of here!" yelled Jecht.

"Agreed," said the fayth. Suddenly, the world seemed to start spinning, and the colors seemed to melt together, running down Lesca's vision until she blacked out.  
---

Read and review!


	4. The Way of the Warrior

Chapter 4: The Way of the Warrior

Lesca had another dream.

In this one, she was being attacked by fiends. They ran at her in seemingly endless droves. She slashed at them with a sword, and they fell by the dozens.

A huge wolf fiend leapt at her, and she impaled it on her blade. But it began to change form... and the body of her father fell from the sword.

"No!"

Lesca woke up to see that only the fayth boy remained.

"What was _that_ all about?" Lesca demanded.

"They were initiating an energy drain. We would have been unable to return to this world for a time had we waited. And time is of the essence," he replied.

"So... where exactly are we?"

"We are within my world, in the Farplane. Look up."

Lesca did, and saw a platform hovering high above. "What's that?"

"That's where visitors go to see the forms of friends and family who have died. Someone is there now," said the fayth. "Speak with her. You will need to know how to protect yourself, and she is a mighty warrior."

"But... do I really need to learn? I already have your aeon."

"Summoning is not always an option. Aeons can aid in battle, but do not depend too much upon them. You must learn to use your own strength as well."

"Okay. Hey... the person on the platform wouldn't happen to be that Yuna you mentioned a while back, would it?"

"No. Yuna has saved the world twice, and deserves to be left in peace. She has married Tidus, the boy from the dream Zanarkand, and they now live on Besaid. The one on the platform is a friend of Yuna's."

"Oh." Lesca was a bit disappointed, but she supposed she might get to meet Yuna anyways. "Wait... how am I supposed to get up _there_?"

The fayth smiled. "Bahamut is winged, is he not?"

"Oh. Um... how do you summon, anyways?"

"There is a bit of my fayth-essence within you. Concentrate on that. You'll know what to do next. But I would not advise summoning Bahamut again topside. The fayth faded about three years ago, so no one else on Spira can call aeons. I don't think anyone would try to kill you here, but it would be best if you kept where you came from mostly secret."

"Okay," Lesca said. She closed her eyes.

_Bahamut._

She raised her arms above her head, then spread them sideways until they were horizontal.

The dragon aeon came crashing down, landing next to Lesca.

Lesca grinned. "Thank you, fayth."

Bahamut got on all fours, and Lesca clambered up and grasped the golden wheel which hovered behind Bahamut's back.

"Let's go," she said.

Paine wasn't sure where to go next. The Gullwings had all gone their separate ways. Yuna had gotten married to Tidus, and they were living on Besaid. Rikku had decided to form her own sphere hunting group called (something)-- apparently she'd gotten tired of Brother's "leadership". Shinra had joined the Machine Faction, and had impressed even Gippal (no easy task) with his technological genius. Paine left the Gullwings shortly after Rikku had-- Brother had gotten on her nerves whining about his "beloved Yuna".

So now Paine was alone. She didn't mind; she was used to it. But she didn't know what to do next.

She had decided to visit the Farplane to see her parents, who had died in an attack by Sin when Paine was about four.

Their figures hovered nearby. Paine didn't say anything-- she just wanted to make sure she remembered what they looked like. Besides, Paine was pretty sure that the apparitions she was seeing now were merely images, and her parents were truly elsewhere.

A crash resounded throughout the Farplane.

_What could that be!_

She drew her sword. Bahamut came soaring up, and Paine backed up several steps. She had no intention of getting squished.

The last time Paine had seen this aeon, it had been attacking her.

It landed on the platform and... a girl jumped off its back!

"What the..." Paine trailed off.

The girl made a pushing motion with her hands, and Bahamut leaped back and disappeared. She turned to Paine.

"Hi! My name's Lesca!" she said.

"Um... hello, Lesca. I'm Paine." Paine was most confused. "How..."

"How did I summon Bahamut? Well, one of the fayth lent his power to me."

"Why?"

"Well... can you keep a secret?"

Lesca told Paine everything-- how she had met the fayth walking home one day, how Bahamut had caused panic in Zanarkand, the strange dreams she'd been having, how she'd met Jecht and Auron on the Farplane, how something happening in her world was apparently imperiling the Farplane, and how she'd ended up in this world.

When she finished, Paine was looking at her thoughtfully.

"You... don't believe me, do you," said Lesca.

"I don't know," Paine replied. "It _is _pretty far-fetched... but then, I have a friend whose husband is a dream of the fayth. And you _did _just call an aeon. So I suppose I believe you... for now, anyways."

"Um... the fayth said you were a mighty warrior..."

"He did, did he?" Paine chuckled. "Well, I suppose I am. What of it?"

"Would you mind teaching me how to fight?"

"Well..." Paine thought about it for a minute. She didn't think she was much of a teacher, but she didn't really have anything better to do. "All right."

_Sheesh. I'm getting as bad as Yuna, helping everyone who asks. Oh well._

Lesca grinned. "So... do I get a sword?"

"If you're a summoner, the traditional weapon would be a staff. But we'll see."

They walked out of the Farplane.

"So," said Jecht, "How long d'you think it will take for our summoner to drive Paine absolutely nuts?"

"Hm..." Braska thought. "I'll give it a week."

Bahamut's fayth smiled. "I will speak with the other fayth and see who will volunteer to lend their aid to Lesca next."

"Good," Auron said. "She will need all the help she can get."

"C'mon, guys!" Jecht said. "A thousand gil says Paine cracks in three days."

"Very well," replied Braska, "You're on."

Auron sighed.

Paine decided to start Lesca's training in Macalania Forest.

"This is a Garment Grid," Paine began, holding out the First Steps grid which she'd kept, along with the Warrior, Dark Knight, and Black Mage dresspheres. "These are dresspheres. Place them on the Garment Grid like so," she said, tapping each sphere to a node, infusing it with the dressphere's essence, "and you can use the dresspheres. Here, try it."

Lesca held the Garment Grid. "Hmm... how about Warrior?" she said. Immediately, her clothes changed into dark leather armor, and a sword appeared in her hand. "Cool!"

"The weapon is built in with the dressphere. When you change dresspheres, the weapon will likewise disappear. That's one of the downsides to dresspheres. After you get adequate experience, we'll see about getting you a real weapon."

"Oh. All right."

"Now... there are plenty of fiends wandering through the woods. Let's go find some."

After a few battles, Paine was beginning to get a tad annoyed with her new apprentice.

"Would you mind focusing on the battle instead of the scenery?" Paine said tersely, slashing at a Blade-type fiend called an Epaaj which had been about to attack the distracted Lesca.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. It's just so shiny..."

"Yes. I know. Now get your head in the game!"

Lesca ran in to attack the Epaaj, but missed.

Paine slashed at the fiend once more, and it collapsed in a cloud of pyreflies.

All too quickly was Lesca beginning to realize that real life was absolutely nothing like a video game.

"Come on. We have a lot of work to do," said Paine

"But I'm _tired_!" Lesca complained. Although she wasn't in _bad_ shape, per se, she'd never really had to physically exert herself in her life, whereas Paine did so on a regular basis, usually to avoid becoming fiend chow.

"I don't care! The fiends won't ignore you just because you're 'tired'! Now let's get moving!" Paine yelled, exasperated.

In the Farplane, the fayth were convening.

"You ask a lot," said Shiva's fayth. "I am weary of dreaming."

"As am I," said Bahamut's fayth, "certainly no less than you. But you know of the danger to the Farplane."

"Yes," the fayth of Shiva replied. "If needed, I am willing to help."

"As am I," said Ixion's fayth. "But isn't there also a fayth in Lesca's world? Why has she not gone to that one?"

"I do not know its location," said Bahamut's fayth. "It sleeps too deeply for me to sense. We have sent someone, however, to search their records to see if there are any clues."

"Who?" asked Valefor's fayth.

"The one of us who I felt would most familiar with Zanarkand, and would be able to figure out its workings best."

"You don't mean..." Shiva's fayth trailed off.

Jecht walked around the streets of Zanarkand. They were different from the ones in Yu Yevon's dream, but he recognized a few places. He'd brought along some gil, which he'd obtained by venturing out of the 'living' area of the Farplane and battling fiends (not being able to die was a definite advantage). He wouldn't have cared about the odd looks his attire brought if this wasn't meant to be a covert operation. As it was, Jecht figured it was best that he blend in.

Of course, he'd asked Auron to monitor Paine and Lesca while he was gone. He certainly wasn't going to let Braska squeak out of that one!

Being made out of pyreflies, he could dissipate at will in order to sneak through vents and small openings, an ability Jecht guessed might come in handy. However, first he had to figure out where the information he was looking for was likely to be stored.

It probably wouldn't be public, according to what Bahamut's fayth said about this world. So perhaps the council building would have records which would give a clue.

Lesca was sore all over. She'd switched off the Warrior dressphere, and Paine had finally agreed to call it a day. They'd rented rooms in the Macalania inn, owned by a character named O'aka. Lesca flopped onto the bed and fell almost instantly into a dreamless sleep.


	5. Seeking Beyond

Chapter 5: Seeking Beyond

Deep within the Farplane, the fayth were still convening.

"I know that it is necessary that Lesca develop her own strength as well as her skills as a summoner," said Shiva's fayth. "The question is, when should one of us give her a second aeon, and who should it be?"

Bahamut's fayth thought. "She should probably be a good bit into her training. She needs all of her strength for now. We will keep an eye on her, as for who... any volunteers?"

The fayth of Ixion stepped forward. "I will."

"Good. Then it's settled," said the fayth of Bahamut.

The next two weeks were mostly the same. Wake up, go out into the woods, fight fiends until she was tired and sore, and fall asleep, only to wake up the next day. Lesca grew stronger by the day, and was soon catching up to Paine in regards to fighting fiends.

"Okay," Paine said, "You've come a long way from when we first started. Very far. Very, very far."

"All right. I get the point," Lesca grumbled. "I never really needed to know how to fight back home. There weren't that many fiends, and those were always taken care of by the machina."

"So, now that you've gotten the use of sharp implements down, perhaps we should move on to magic."

"Sounds good."

"I must admit, I'm not the best mage. I'm decent, but I really prefer using a sword."

"Okay..."

"Now, switch to the Black Mage dressphere."

Lesca did so. "Wait..." the Zanarkand girl said suddenly. "Why didn't you spherechange?"

"Dresspheres can enhance your abilities... but sometimes you can learn the more basic abilities permanently. I can use first-level magic without the dressphere. That will be enough to demonstrate technique."

A Blue Elemental drifting lazily through the woods happened to pass near Paine and Lesca. "Ah," Paine said, "Here's the perfect target. You know about opposing elements, right?"

Lesca stared back blankly.

"Do they teach you _anything_ in Zanarkand?" Paine asked.

"Well, no one really uses magic..."

Paine sighed. "Fire and ice are opposites. So are lightning and water. A fiend aligned with fire is often weak to ice, and vice versa. Same goes for lightning and water. There are also non-elemental magics, but I won't go into those just yet. Now, that fiend is water-aligned, so..."

"I use lightning?"

"Yes. Now, focus on the target."

"Okay..."

"Gather up your energy. Let it build up inside you."

"Okay..."

"Now, release it!"

A small fountain of water erupted from the ground. It can be difficult to read the emotions of an elemental-type fiend, but Paine could have sworn that this one looked smug.

"Lesca..."

"Sorry! I was just looking at the fiend, and it made me think of water, and..."

Paine sighed even deeper. "Okay," she said, keeping her exasperation in check, "Try that again."

This time, a jet of flame spouted forth.

Paine turned slowly to face her student.

"I'm sorry! It's just that lightning is hot, and that made me think of fire, and..."

"Can you please try and _focus_?" Paine said, massaging her temples.

This time, a bolt of magical lightning struck.

"Hey! I did it!"

Despite the beginning difficulties, it turned out that Lesca had a natural talent for magic... when she could focus on what she was doing. She'd mastered the first level magic by the end of one week, and second level by the second.

After two months of training with Paine, Lesca had become a rather formidable fighter. Her skill with a blade was decent, but she was exceptional with magic.

They were also running somewhat low on gil. O'aka had given them a reduced price due to a favor done him by the Gullwings, but all the same, they couldn't stay forever.

"So... where to next?" Lesca asked.

"Maybe we should..."

An old man stood in the path. "Hello, Lesca."

"Um..." Lesca said, "are you another one of those fayth?"

The old man chuckled. "Yes, I am. Are you ready?"

Lesca nodded. Paine backed up a few steps. The fayth flew forward and into Lesca, who dropped to her knees.

"Lesca? Are you all right?" Paine asked.

Lesca grunted. "Uh-huh."

Paine helped her up. "Come on. Let's go." Lesca leaned on Paine, and they made their way slowly out of the woods.

Jecht crept through the room which held city records. He'd found nothing interesting, and...

_Wait!_

A file folder nearby was labeled, "Do not read. Authorized personnel only. Classified information."

Jecht grinned. _Score!_

It was locked, but Jecht just put his hand through the lock and disabled it. Oh, the advantages of having a body made of pyreflies! He pulled out a folder and started to read. "Ooh... very interesting..."

Lesca woke up in a richly furnished room. On one wall was a paper painstakingly inscribed with flowery print. Lesca found it difficult to read, but they appeared to be proverbs of some sort.

"Do... not... mock... what... you... do... not... understand..." Lesca read laboriously. "Huh."

A knock came at the door.

"Come in," Lesca called.

Paine stepped in, followed by a man with bluish-white hair. The hair didn't appear to be white due to age; the man seemed rather young.

"This is Baralai. He is the praetor of New Yevon," Paine explained. "How are you doing?"

"I'm all right," Lesca replied. "But... what's New Yevon?"

"You mean you don't know?" Baralai said.

"Um..." Lesca mumbled. She looked questioningly at Paine.

"I trust him," the warrior said.

"Okay, do you mind closing the door first?"

Baralai did so, and Lesca gave him a brief summary of her adventures.

"Hm," said the praetor after Lesca had finished.

"I can prove it, if you want," Lesca offered. "I mean, if there's somewhere no one will see us."

"We could try the Via Infinito," said Baralai. "We could teleport in and teleport out easily, as long as we stay on the first floor."

"All right," said the young summoner.

Lesca, who was feeling much better, got up. "Lead the way!" she said cheerily.

Baralai nodded, and did so.

_Heh. She's almost like Rikku, _Paine thought, following.

In the Via Infinito, Lesca's confidence lessened somewhat. "This place... is kinda creepy."

"You'll be fine," said Paine. "I've been to the hundredth floor before, and I'm still alive. You can surely handle the first."

Lesca nodded. _Hm, _she thought, _who to summon? I guess I'll try the new aeon... Hey! That guy never told me his aeon's name!_

However, as Lesca reached for the fayth-essence inside, the name sprung into her mind:

_Ixion._

A portal appeared, crackling with electricity. The tip of the aeon's horn poked out. Lesca beckoned, and the aeon emerged with a whinny.

"Okay. I believe you," said Baralai.

Lesca grinned, and dismissed Ixion.

Jecht strolled over to where Auron and Braska were standing.

"Did you get the information?" Auron asked.

"Yup, sure did. So, Braska, hand over the gil you owe me from our little bet."

Braska turned to face Jecht. "Actually, Paine didn't 'crack' at all."

"She showed admirable self-restraint, in my opinion," Auron added.

"So..." Jecht said, "I guess this means we both get to keep our gil."

"Actually," said Auron, a devious smile (totally out of character for Auron) creeping onto his face, "You both owe me 1000 gil."

"Hey! Waddaya mean?" Jecht protested.

"Braska bet that Paine would crack in a week. You bet three days. I did not state that I thought she would crack at all, in essence saying that I believed she would remain perfectly sane. Therefore, I win the bet."

"That _has_ to be against the rules," Jecht grumbled as he handed Auron the gil.

Braska chuckled, and did the same.

Lesca, Paine, and Baralai returned to the room where Lesca had woken up.

"You said you were from a different world, right?" Baralai asked.

"Yeah, kinda. I think it's pretty much like your Spira, except Sin never came," Lesca replied.

"It's funny," said Paine, "how one thing can change... everything."

"Yeah," said Lesca.

"I mean," Paine continued, "what if there are infinite Spiras? There could be thousands of me, thousands of you... what if for every choice we made, one of our twins on another Spira chose the opposite?"

"You could be right," said Baralai solemnly, gazing out a window. "I would think that your world would be perfect, Lesca. No Machina War, no Sin, no Vegnagun. But, from what you've said..." He shook his head. "Magic all but forbidden. Secrets kept from the populace."

"Yevon kept secrets, too," Paine broke in.

"True," Baralai said. "But now that time is ending."

"Maybe I can help end it in my world, too," Lesca said.

The fayth of Bahamut chose this moment to stop by.

"Hello," he said. "I would like to speak with Lesca alone, if you don't mind."

Paine and Baralai slipped quietly out of the room.

"What is it?" Lesca asked.

"Jecht has discovered where the fayth in your world is. Come to the Farplane when you are ready."

Lesca nodded.

The fayth disappeared.


	6. Second Crossing

Chapter 6: Second Crossing

Lesca opened the door. "Okay, guys, we're done... um, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Paine and Baralai had been holding one another's hands, and each gazed into the other's eyes. Upon hearing Lesca's voice, Paine turned to her abruptly, flushing a pale pink.

"Oh, no... nothing at all," Paine said hurriedly.

Lesca grinned. "Oh, is that so?"

Paine sent the young summoner her patented Glare of Death. Lesca, undaunted, went on. "Anyway, apparently they've discovered the location of a fayth in my world. So, I guess I'll be headed to the Farplane."

"I guess that means I'll be going with you," said Paine.

"You don't have to do that," Lesca insisted, but Paine shook her head with a wry grin.

"_Someone _has to watch your back. So it looks like I'll be your guardian."

"I'll go too," said Baralai. "With your permission, of course. Everyone needs backup."

"Ah. _Backup,_" Lesca repeated, an mischievous glint in her eye. "Of course."

Paine sent the Glare of Death Mach II at Lesca.

Baralai, seemingly oblivious, continued. "I'm due for some time off. Things have settled down, and I am rather sick of paperwork."

"Well, then, it's settled," said Lesca. "Off to the Farplane!"

"I will have to make a few arrangements first," said Baralai. "I'll need to officially appoint a leader in my stead, announce that I'm taking an indefinite amount of time off... all that sort of thing. Don't worry, it won't take me longer than a day."

Lesca groaned.

"Meanwhile, you're welcome to look through the New Yevon weaponry stores, if you're in need of something of that sort."

Lesca brightened. "Sounds good to me!"

"I think I remember where that is," said Paine. "Come on, Lesca."

The two girls walked off.

Jecht was still disgruntled about his monetary loss.

"I mean, that can't be right!" he protested.

"Well," Auron replied, "if you can show me the rulebook where it is outlawed, then I will gladly return your gil."

"There _is _no rulebook! The rules are unwritten!"

Braska just watched. "Some things never change," he murmured to himself.

"Excuse me. Would you be Lord Braska?" came a female voice from behind. The former summoner turned. Two young women stood behind him. One had long brown hair, hazel eyes, and wore a purple, frilly Songstress outfit. The other had black hair cropped at shoulder length, piercing green eyes, and wore dark brown robes.

"My name is Lenne," the purple clad one continued. "Do you know where I might find Bahamut's fayth?"

"Behind you," said Braska. And, indeed, the fayth had appeared behind them.

"Hello, Lenne," said the boy. "It is nice to see you, also, fayth of Sting."

The robed girl nodded.

"Sting?" Braska asked. "I've never heard of an aeon of that name."

"I was a fayth in Zanarkand," said Sting's fayth. "My statue was destroyed in the Machina War."

Lenne continued. "She said that she is willing to lend her aid to Lesca, if that is possible."

The fayth of Bahamut thought for a moment. "I think so. It may be a struggle, after such a long time. But if you are willing to begin dreaming again..."

"I am," said the fayth of Sting. "I wish to help save this other Zanarkand. It is what might have been, had things gone differently."

"Very well," said Bahamut's fayth.

Lesca looked like a kid in a candy shop.

"Oooh! Look at all these weapons!"

Paine sighed. "Yes. There are a lot of weapons, of many sorts. These are weaponry stores. That's the whole point."

Something shiny caught Lesca's eye. "Oooh! Neat!" She picked up a staff. It was white, engraved with silver and gold symbols, and had a scythe-like blade at the end.

Lesca gave a few practice swings, nearly slicing Paine. "Watch it!" Paine yelled, jumping back.

"Sorry," Lesca said sheepishly.

The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully.

Bright and early the next morning (read: barely after the sun had risen) Lesca awoke to a splash of freezing water in the face.

"Aaargh!" she shouted, sitting bolt upright. Paine stood nearby, chuckling evilly.

"Paine! What was that for!" Lesca yelled.

"Revenge for yesterday," Paine replied, not bothering to elaborate before strolling out the door. "Get up. We've got a lot to do today," she called over her shoulder.

Lesca, grumbling, complied.

The three of them left Bevelle about an hour later by chocobo.

The experience was novel to Lesca, who had never seen these animals except in zoos back home. She had almost forgotten about her rude (not to mention early) awakening. Almost.

They rode through Macalania Woods, across the Thunder Plains, and finally, leaving their chocobos in a conveniently located chocobo stable (established by Clasko, who, teaming up with Calli, had started a Spira-wide business), entered Guadosalam.

"Praetor Baralai! A pleasure to see you here," said Trommel, noticing their arrival. "And you as well, Paine. Who is this other?"

"I'm Lesca. Nice to meet you, sir," she said.

"The pleasure is all mine," the Guado leader replied.

"We are here to visit the Farplane," said Baralai. "If you'll excuse us..."

"Of course," said the cordial Guado.

The trio quickly made their way to the Farplane. As they stood on the platform above the Farplane Glen, Baralai asked, "Well... what now?"

Lesca shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we wait."

They stood in silence for a few moments.

"You sure we're just supposed to wait here?" Paine asked.

"Well, he said, 'Come to the Farplane when you are ready.' Those were his exact words."

"Indeed," said the fayth, who had appeared behind them. "Now-- it is time."

Suddenly, the world started spinning, and the colors all melted together.

Lesca had enough time to think, _He might have warned us first. Sheesh, _before blacking out.


End file.
